The present invention relates to an endless track drive system, and methods of making, installing and repairing such a system. Endless track drive systems are used on vehicles such as tractors, bulldozers and tanks.
Many efforts have been made to improve endless track drive systems. In Edwards U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,318, issued June 6, 1978 (fully incorporated herein by reference), an endless track drive system is disclosed and claimed which includes a plurality of endless track drive sections, each section having a substantially flat contact surface and sloped surfaces to distribute weight and shed dirt and other foreign objects. Although U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,318 represented a marked improvement in endless track drive systems existing prior to that time, the pivotal means of connecting the endless track drive sections was subject to excessive wear, and the endless track drive system there disclosed continued to be excessively difficult and time-consuming to make, install and repair. It was further found that dirt and foreign objects continued to interfere with proper operation of the endless track drive system, although again not to the extent of track drive systems existing prior thereto.
In further recent developmental work, Edwards and his partners/co-inventors Harper and McNew have further improved upon the endless track drive system disclosed in Edwards U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,318. Their U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,569,561 issued Feb. 11, 1986, and 4,616,883 issued Oct. 14, 1986 (both fully incorporated herein by reference), disclose and claim an endless track drive system made up of a number of drive sections interconnected by cable connector sections. As there disclosed, the drive sections have sloping sides with removable rubber wear pads, and the cable connector sections include cables encased in rubber or other similar suitable material. As a result of such features, the endless track drive system disclosed and claimed therein experiences improved flexibility and tensile strength, reduced noise, and reduced maintenance. The detrimental effects of dirt and debris are likewise mitigated.
Despite the marked improvement in endless track drive systems resulting from the recent work of Edwards, Harper and McNew, as represented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,569,561 and 4,616,883, there remained a need for simplification in the manufacture, installation and repair of even that improved endless track drive system. Furthermore, the industry is always interested in and receptive to mitigating even further the effects of dirt and debris on endless track drive systems because of the resulting operational problems, downtime and increased maintenance.